Monday, September 01, 2008

Italy yesterday agreed to pay Libya US$5 billion as compensation for its 30-year occupation of the country, which ended in 1943.

In return for getting this mountain of money, Libya has offered a vaguely-worded promise to crackdown on illegal immigrants. In other words, Libya has to do nothing in return. Aint life grand for the Muslims? Takbir!

"It is a material and emotional recognition of the mistakes that our country has done to yours during the colonial era," Berlusconi told reporters at the airport on his arrival. "This agreement opens the path to further cooperation."

In other words, additional future payments to the Muslims are almost certainly in the offing. Never mind the fact that almost all of the Italians that were involved in the aforementioned crime of 'colonialism' are dead. The Turks used to own Libya as a colony also. Will Turkey now be expected to cough up a crapload of cash now?

Italy is spinning this as a "we're sorry about that colonialism thing" that ended over 60 years ago, but Libya's Muslims are going to most definitely have a rather different take on it. They're going to regard it as tribute from the heathen kuffar to the Ummah. And they would be right on that score--it's tribute, and a whole lot of it.

It also sets a nasty and expensive precedent for the dhimmified Yurps. Can Algeria and Syria now bill their former colonial power France? Can Egypt now demand their tribute from their former colonial masters, the British? If it's good enough for Libya, why not for all the rest?